Letters : . . .

So women’s brains shrink when they are pregnant and a naive correlation is
made between brain size and cognitive function. It is a pity that nobody
involved has thought to look at the behavioural literature.

Our research has revealed little evidence of cognitive dysfunction in
healthy pregnant women, and objective evidence linking pregnancy and childbirth
with memory failure has remained elusive.

Problems with concentration and memory can be symptoms of puerperal
psychosis, a very rare disorder. And they are also symptoms of depression. The
incidence of depression is higher during pregnancy and after childbirth.